Arsenal kept up the pressure on league leaders Manchester United by smashing Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage. Last week's disappointing performance against Birmingham City was not to be repeated as the Gunners once again returned back to their efficient standards with Emmanuel Adebayor grabbing his 14th and 15th goals of the season in the first half. Their lead was hardly threatened by their less superior opponents and Rosicky's 82nd goal ensured that Arsenal went back with all three points.
Adebayor powers Gael Clichy's cross into the back of the net.
Emmanuel Adebayor rises above all to grab his second goal.
There was not to be any early Christmas celebrations at Ewood Park as Chelsea walked away with an unconvincing 1-0 victory thanks to a Joe Cole's solitary strike in the 22nd minute. There was not to be any presents from Roque "Santa Claus", despite Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech having to limp out during the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave Manchester United an early Christmas present as he netted a brace to seal a 2-1 home win against Everton.
The mercurial winger opened the scoring by rifling home a left-footed strike in the 22nd minute, but Everton responded quickly through a Cahill header.
Ronaldo slotted in the winner from the spot after veteran Ryan Giggs had been tripped by Pienaar, and this win allowed the Red Devils to keep up the pressure on table-toppers Arsenal.
Sir Alex Ferguson must have been very pleased with Ronaldo's overall contribution, when he told ManUtd.com, "The boy really has got everything and we're expecting goals from him all the time. I don't think he ever made a mistake - he was absolutely perfect, it was a marvellous performance from him."
The visitors came to Old Trafford on the back of a 13-match unbeaten streak and started confidently even without their key midfielder, Mikel Arteta. David Moyes and his men had a very defensive game plan which looked to be working very well until Ronaldo stunned them with his first goal. The Portuguese international took the ball around Lee Carsley and released a swerving shot which left Tim Howard rooted to the ground.
Everton come out of their shell slowly and it took them only five minutes to equalize when United's defence failed to deal with Pienaar's cross, which was met by an unmarked Cahill.
Things were starting to look much brighter for Everton. They had a couple of good counter-attack chances in the second-half as Manchester United were visibly frustrated by the Great Blue Wall lead by Everton's central defensive pair Joseph Yobo and Phil Jagielka.
Tevez and Rooney both had great opportunities, but were either denied by Howard's excellent shot-stopping or their own wastefulness. The introduction of Louis Saha indicated the importance of collecting a 3 points, and United's big break finally arrived when Giggs was brought down by Pienaar's reckless trip which must have left David Moyes hugely disappointed.
Everton boss David Moyes was not too scathing about Pienaar's crucial contribution in conceding the spot kick. 'I thought it was a penalty. It was just a moment of madness for Steven,' he said.
Ronaldo displayed his nerves of steel as he converted the penalty and saved United yet again.
"I'm very happy with Christmas coming up. I think Father Christmas gave me my present early. With the next few games, there is not too much time to rest, so it was important to win to stay near the top.", said Ronaldo after the game.
With many more points waiting to be collected this festive period, Ferguson must be hoping Ronaldo will continue to receive more presents from Santa in the upcoming matches.
Arsenal defeated their fierce rivals Tottenham at the Emirates and will stay at top spot even if Manchester United win tonight. It was another breathtaking and brilliant North London derby on the Saturday afternoon.
Wenger retained his first XI who had beaten Chelsea last weekend, while Juande Ramos had to major injury worries to cope with, particularly in defence. Chimbonda was paired at the centre with Younes Kaboul while Teemu Tainio was played out of position at leftback. It did not look like Spur's leaky backline was going to improve and Arsenal were looking to exploit that weakness as soon as the first whistle blew.
Arsena's attacking prowess was putting Tottenham on the backfoot for most of the time. Flamini and Toure both had early chances to open the scoring for the Gunners, but Paul Robinson was looking much more confident after his torrid period at club and international level.
The crowd were getting impatient was both sides headed back to the dressing room at half-time. Arsenal came back to the field more fired up and the spark came on the 48th minute when Adebayor slid home his 10th Premier League goal of the season.
Spurs began to take the initiative and poured forward with more urgency, and the game now had end-to-end action. Robbie Keane smashed the ball against the bar from a Lennon cross. In the 66th minute, Tottenham were rewarded for their efforts when Berbatov shot from a narrow angle, and completely surprised Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia.
Tottenham's newfound confidence gave them a penalty in the 72nd minute when Toure clipped Berbatov in the box. However, Alumunia saved Keane's spotkick and the tide turned in the Arsenal's favour again.
3 minutes later, Tottenham paid the price for a missed penalty and some slack defending when substitue Nikolas Bendtner grabbed the winner as he powered home a header from close-range. The whole of Emirates roared and they knew that these 3 points will allow Arsenal to remain at the top for yet another weekend.
Arsenal retained top spot in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The only goal of the game came in first-half injury-time when Petr Cech failed to collect a left-wing corner from Cesc Fabregas and William Gallas drove in a header against his old team.
Fabregas, Hleb and Flamini were initially injury doubts but all three started for the Gunners and surprisingly, Dutchman Robin van Persie was left on the bench.
In such London derbies, tension was always bound to get high, especially between this two sides. Manchester United’s win at Anfield a few hours had cranked the pressure in this match a notch or two higher. Arsene Wenger knew his side had to win in order to move back to the top.
Both teams started out brightly and carved out chances of their own. Chelsea tried to restrict the home side's free-flowing football with their strong physical play lead by their captain John Terry.
However, seven minutes before the break John Terry limped off to be replaced by Tal Ben-Haim. The England captain had been limping since a challenge from Eboue a few minutes earlier. Arsenal seized the opportunity and William Gallas capitalized on a rare Cech mistake to nod home the ball.
It was certainly a huge blow to Chelsea's first-half efforts but they continued to search for the equalizer after the break. However, the absence of Drogba was very evident as Shevchenko and Wright-Phillips were guilty of squandering chances. The Gunners also had plenty of chances of their own and Fabregas fluffed a simple shot just before referee Alan Wiley brought the game to an end.
Benitez's dismal record against the Red Devils continued as Carlos Tevez's goal at the stroke of half-time secured a 1-0 victory for Manchester United, as they seek to keep up the pressure on league leader Arsenal.
Just like in the corresponding fixture last season, Rafa's side dominated their much vaunted opponents, but they succumbed to a sucker punch from Tevez on the stroke of half time. Liverpool created most of the game's best chances and United twice cleared off the line after some nervy moments from Van der Sar, but the defending champions stole the 3 points in one of their few attacks.
The game looked for a goalless draw at half-time until Rooney's scuffed shot found its way to Tevez, who scored from close range. It was a very fortunate goal for United, considering the dominance of the team in Red and their countless chances.
Liverpool continued pounding the United backline after the break, but Rio Ferdinand and Co. defended resolutely to protect the visitor's lead. Benitez tried to inject more venom into Liverpool's attack by introducing Peter Crouch and Ryan Babel, but it was the home side who was almost caught out when Rooney missed the target from eight yards out during a typical United counterattack.
Luckily, Rooney did not have to pay for his costly miss as the Reds could not find the equalizer and Tevez's goal was just enough for United to steal the points again.
Another match-watering clash in tonight's Premier League fixtures will be between league leader Arsenal and their London arch-rvials Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. When these two teams meet, it will be more than 3 points at stake as the Blues look to gun down the Gunners without their talismanic striker Didier Drogba.
This is the top flight's oldest London derby, dating from a 2-1 Chelsea win in 1907, and Arsenal have not beaten Chelsea in any game since February 2004. Wenger will be looking to end that record, especially when two of the Blues most consistent goalscorers against their north London neighbours will be absent on Sunday: Michael Essien, scorer of two fantastic goals against them in the league last season, serves the last of three suspensions; and Didier Drogba, with five in that unbeaten run, has recently been under the surgeon's knife.
However, the Frenchman also has problems of his own and may be forced to play without key players like Cesc Fabregas, Matthieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb.
Arsenal captain William Gallas will also be meeting his ex-colleagues, as he was part of the deal which took Cole to Stamford Bridge during August 2006, in which he moved in the opposite direction.
Wenger is in no doubt of the important role the 30-year-old plays within the emerging Arsenal squad.``Gallas is key for me,'' declared Wenger. ``He has taken his role as captain very seriously and is leading the team well on and off the field.''
Such games could prove to be very tight matches, and the determining factor in the final score could be players like Gallas, who helped the Gunners snatch a draw against Manchester United earlier in the season.
Arsenal's overlapping fullbacks- Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy will be important in Arsenal's attacks but it does leave gaps at the back. Shevchenko will most probably start upfront and he will certainly look to exploit the weaknesses in Arsenal's backline. If he wants to justify his huge price tag, this match will be a good chance for him to prove his worth.
This feisty clash will start at 11.55pm tonight on Football Channel 27. Official Match Preview
Statistics first: The Reds have not beaten their arch rivals in the last six meetings and lost last season's meeting at Anfield by a 1-0 scoreline despite dominating for long spells. That is why Rafa Benitez believes ace striker Fernando Torres is the key to reversing his appalling record against Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
"In the past against Manchester United we have played well and had plenty of the ball, controlling the game, but without winning them," said Benitez. "We know they have good defenders, but also we needed to be stronger in attack.
"Now, in Fernando Torres, we have someone with pace and ability. And this time, maybe if we have more control of the game, we will be a real threat to them.
"Torres knows all about the United players and will manage that, because he has a lot of experience and a very strong character.
"I think he could be that extra something which we have needed against United. We are a better squad this season and he is one of the key men in that - and we do have more ways of winning this year."
"It will be difficult, we know that, but I believe that now we have another option that we didn't before. United know he's a good player, they know his quality, and they will be worried about him, that's for sure."
The Reds have been in a rich vein of attacking form, especially during their 4-0 demolition of Marseille midweek, with Torres and Holland's Dirk Kuyt working fine together, and lead by their inspirational captain Steven Gerrard. Nevertheless, they will have to get past the partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic, not forgetting United's goalkeeper, Edwin Van der Sar. United's swift counter-attacks lead by Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez could be a real problem for Jamie Carragher and the rather slow Sami Hyypia.
Benitez recognises the importance of this match as he prepares to meet co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks this weekend. The result could determine whether the manager gets his money for the January transfer window.
He said: "We are closer to the other top teams than before as we have eight more points than last season. We are also gaining in experience and that brings quality and character to your side. Maybe this game against United will be more important for confidence than anything else."
The match kicks-off at 9.25pm tonight on Football Channel 27.
I am a 18-year old male who is extremely passionate about football. My favourite club is Manchester United and my favourite player is Ryan Giggs. You can contact me through email (silver_boi@hotmail.com) or visit my personal blog at secretoktober.blogspot.com.
